Improved process of treating wood, to preserve, season



IRA HAYFORD AND JOSEPH F. PAUL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 95,583, dated October 5, 1869.

IMPROVE!) PROCESS OF TREATING- WOOD, TO PRESERVE, SEASON, lLND Gvl IT A. BETTER SURFACE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent-and making part cf the same.

To all to whom these presents shall come Belit known that we, IRA HAYFoRD-and J osEPH F.1AUL, ot" Boston, in the county of Suffolk, and Stateof B'Iassachusetts, have made an invention of a new and useful Process or Mode of Treating Wood tor various purposes; and do hereby declare ihe following to be a l'ull, clear, and :exact description thereof', due reference boing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and in whichlfigurc l is a vertical and transverse section, and

Figure 2, a vertical and longitudinal section of au apparatus or still employed for carrying out our process,

Figure 3 being a Vhorizontal section of' the same, taken through the parath'ne and water-chambers of theapparatns, to be hereinafter explained.

The invention herein described, and which constitutes the subject matter of this patent, consists in an improved process or mode of treating wood, and although wood treated by this process is susceptible of 'various uses, it is intended more especially for malinih ture oi' butter and lard-tirkins or boxes, waterpaiis, the process to which the wood is subjected being intended rather to eiieot the removal of its inherent `tain ted properties or moisture, and supply their place with a tasteless and comparatively odorless substance, which sha-ll not only protect the wood against changes in the `teniperature of the atmosphere, and render it proot': ,'anst penetration by liquid or oleaginous substances, than to arrest and postpone its decay for a greatlcngth oi' time, although this latter result is obtained, in some degree, by our process.

Produce-dealers and house-keepers, as well as pail and tub-lmmuiiicturers, have long felt the need of some effect-ive means ot' removing the taint of various kinds ot' wood, since a very large quantity of butter and lard, as well as other kindred substances, become more or impregnated and contaminated, and in many cases spoiled, by absorbing the tainted and disagreeable. moisture or gases from the wood ofthe vessel in which they are packed.

Another important object sought has been to render the wood impcrvimis to the penetration by, and escape ot lard, 85o., the loss from this source alone, in large establishments, being a matter ot' great moment.

Our present invention is intended to deodorizc Wood to a grcatcr or less extent, according to its nature, to render it prooi' against penetration by liquid and oleltginous substances, and to insure it against changes al its condition from the eii'ect of varying temperatures, as well as to retard its decay, another object ot" the invention heilig to render wood tire-proof, and, i'or some uses, to increase its specific gravity and density.

The substance wc employ to render this wood couilnu'atively odorless and tasteless, as well as impervious to moisture or oleaginous-substances, by injection into its pores and tissues, is paratiine or palm-eil, while the substance we adopt to render it fire-proof is carbonate of ammonia, or an analogous chemical agent, while 'to increase its hardness or density, and when desirable its specific gravity, we combine with the parafine and carbonate of ammonia, a quantity ot' silicate of sodium, or in place of it, powdered soapstone, an additional effect or advantage of either of these lasttwo being, that they aid in impartinga brilliant polish to the surface of wood.

Ne are aware of the existence oi' numerous patented inventions, both in this country and Europe', for the preservation of wood by expelling the moisture and albnmen from its pores, and replacing them 'oy injecting or carrying into sunhpores 'various liquide 'or oleaginous substances, which have the effect of arresting. for a great length of time the natural decay ot' wood.

Among the many processes l'ieretofore adopted, has been that of permetti-ing the pores and tissues and cellular struct-ure of wood by the vapors of evaporation, water, and fat-ty or oleaginous substances, the watery vapors expanding the pores and cells, as well as expelling moisture and gases therefrom, the clcaginous matters following the escape and supplying the place ot the moisture, Scie.-

In carrying out this mode of impregnation ot' wood, various devices have been adopted by diilercut inventors, and our apparat-us will be found to add to this number, since its basis is the penetration of the pores of thc wood by oleagimnis vapors, mingled with or heldin suspension by steam, which becomes the vehicle for conveying these vapors int-o said pores.

So i'ar, then, our process of impregnation ot' woodwith foreign substances, may be said to follow in the steps of our predecessors, but in the peculiar application of materials employed, and in the effects produced, as well as iu local and characteristic details of apparatus, our invention will be seen to possess several points of novelty and nsetiilness not found in previous inventions oi' its class.

The principal object Sought in the various processes of' treating wood have bccn t0 preserve it from decay for the various purposes otbnilding bridges, what-ves, navigable vessels, oto., while our inventiomon the contrary, was originated foi-.an entirely dilierent purpose, as it is ibnnd in practice that the various agent-s used in these processes had the eil'ect of taint-ing and discoloring the wood, our invention, on the contra-ry, having the eii'oct ot' deodorizing it, and -disroloring it to very little ii' any extent, while it adds in a very marked degree to the richness oi' its color, which is import-ant in the manufacture of furniture.

\Ve arc aware that vessels for containing lard and alents, the enclosures other oleaginous food, have been dipped in melted parstructure at once serving the double purpose cfa generator anda treating-chamber for the preparation of wood.

The Substances within the structure or chamber A, may be evaporated by heat, applied directly to the under surface and w'alls of such structure, but for various reasons we prefer to evaporate its contents by steam, admitted in a suitable manner, or with suitable )i es to its interior.`

ViKithin the chamber A, aud upon or nearlth'c'. floor, lwe create two side enclosures, c b, formed by erecting partitions c (l, lengthwise of the structure, and covering the area between such partitions and the walls of the structure, with foraminous plates e e, or theirfequivor tanksfa b, thus produced, being for reception ofthe paraiine or palm-oil, as Awell as the fire-proof and 'hardening substances, when enlployed in the process, and also the water iifom which vapors are produced.

A steam-pipe, g, is conducted from an ordinary generator' into close proximity to the exterior ofthe structure A, where itis divided, one branch, or that marked (t in the accompanying drawings, being carried in a serpentine orirregular direction throughout thc'two water-tanks or generators a b, and 'returned to the outside of the fstructure, whilemtlie other branch, or that marked'i, is made to course throughout the area ofthe .paraiiine-tank j', the extremity of this latter pipe also being carried to the outside ofthe structure,

"This simple arrangement ot' parts constitutes the apparatus employed by u's in carrying out our process.

A',lhe wood'to be treated is placed within the chamber A, and upon suitable racks or supports, after the manner of other devices'for the purpose; The watertanks a and b are then to be partially filled with water, and the central tank j' supplied of paraftiue or palm-oil, thc'fire-proof and hardening materials being also added, if desirable, when steam is to be admitted into the branch pipes g and h before mentioned, until the contents of the several tanks are vaporized, and the wood thoroughly saturated with the resulting vapors, when the steam pressing through the said pipes is to be shut oif,.the evaporation within the chamber A being stopped.

The vapors resulting from the evaporation of the water, and from the liquefication and ensuing evaporation of the paraiiiue and filling the chamber A, circulate about all parts ofthe wood contained therein.

As before observed, these vapors fill and expand the pores and tissues of the wood, coagulate the albumen therein, and drive therefrom thel tainted moisture and gases, or any and all impure or injurious substances, the resulting condensation, evaporaticn, and escape ofthe vapors 'within and from the pores, allowing the paraiine held in suspension to deposit itself iu a thin film upon the interior surface of the said pores, and about the tissues.

-The watery particles of the vapors then fall tu the bottom of thc tanks a, b, andf, vwhile the paraine in excess of the amount first entering the pores of the wood, settles itseliiover the surface of the water, and by preventing escape of moisture therefrom, produces a dry andwarm atmosphere within the chamber A, which soon completes the desiccation ofthe wood.

The lire-proof and hardening substances before referred to, are also taken in suspension and deposited with a-proper quantity within the pores and about the tissues of the wood with the results before stated.

One object in placing the wood in the treating-chant ber A, previous to'hea't-ing the water and paraii'ine is, that by gradually raising the temperature of said chant ber, we obviate the checking and cracking of the wood, which often` taires place uson subjecting it suddenly to the action of het vapors. l

Large sums of money have heretofore been expended, and many and elaborate experiments conducted, in the attempt lto preserve wood in such man- 4ner that lard shall not escape through its pores and tissues, the amount ot loss from this source being much greater than .uninformed persons are aware of.

The paraiiiue or palm-oil, not only-',as before stated,

protects wood from. changes in temperature or climate, but rend A it impervious to liquid or oleaginous substances, and rleorlorizes or otherwise produces such Veffect upon it, that no injurious taste or odor is imparted to the lard or other food, by contact with it. The natural decay of vwoodfis also retarded to a great extent.

We are aware, as' before stated, that the pores of wood have been saturated with steam to expel their impurities, and liquid or oleaginous substance in a cold state allowed to condense' this steam, and tosubse'- quently enter and till the pores of thewood.

This mode required a liquid substance, and all the liquid substances heretoihre 'used to preserve wood possess in a greater or less degree injurious odorsand tastes, consn rior the purpose for which our invention wa originated, they would be valueless. Uuder this met also, the preserving-agents entered and entirely filled the poresof the wood.

Should paraliin sbc employed in treating woodin suoli 'quantities as to lill the pores, as would be the case in other processes, it might be justly urged that the expense would render its adoption nou-feasible.

By filling the pores of wood with the combined vaporsoi' water and pai-affine, as in ourv invention, `and l' then checking the evaporation, wegaiu a very important advantage, since- 'the amount of paraiiiue thus held in solution er suspension, is not sufcient to lill the pores, but merely deposits a thin iilm upon their inner circumference, and about the tissues and libres of the wood.

As an evidence ofthe economy of our use of paraffine, we would state that we are daily treating large quantities of wood, at anexpense not exceeding that demanded for other modes 'of treat-ment.

, For purposes of furniture-making, the color of wood treated by'our process is rendered very much deeper and richer, and as this color extends entirely through it, moisture or wear will not remove it, as is the case in the 'ordinaryT mede of polishing.

The silicate of soda, while increasing. the weight of 4 the wood, by increasing its density, adds very much to the facilities for polishing it. l

Claims. XVe claim 1. Treating wood by impregnati'ng and filling its pores and tissues with the combined vapors of paraf- 4ne or palm-oil and water, and then checking the evaporation of such materials, the result being the depositing of a thin film within and about the pores and tissues of the wood.

2. In combination with a material for preserving wood by injection into its pores, the use of silicate ot' soda, and of carbonate of ammonia, for the purpose before stated.

' IRA HAYFGRD.

JOSEPH F. PAUL.

YVituesses FRED.V CURTIS, .E nwsne Grunrrru. 

